Coke-o veh



H. W. BUHLER.

COKE OVEN.

APPLICATION FILED um. 13. 1911.

'1 19,839. Patented Oct. 28,1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

. /Z i/ /9- Z /9 Q R (a p ATTORNEY H. W. BUH'LER.

COKE OVEN.

APPLICATION FILED JAN 13. 191:.

1 ,3 19,839. Patented Oct. 28, 1919.

. v v 2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

INVENTOR I ATT'OH/VEY PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY W. BUHLER, 0F BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

COKE-011 EN.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 28, 1919.

. Applicatihn filed January 13, 1917. Serial No. 142,167.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, HENRY l/V. BUHLER, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing at Boston, county of Suffolk, State of Massachusetts,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Coke-Ovens, (CaseA,) of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to heating apparatus generally and is designed toproduce uniform heating effects over the wall surfaces of combustionchambers of large dimensions. While my invention is capable of generalapplication its most advantageous specific embodiment now known to me isfound in its application to the heating of coke ovens.

Modern coking practice is tending more and more toward the employment ofhigh coking chambers of ten or eleven feet or more in verticaldimension, and to heat these corspondingly high vertical flues areformed in the chamber walls. The even heating of these coking chambersso as to produce uniform coking conditions at all levels thereinrequires a lengthening of the flame of combustion in said flues so as tosubject all portions of the flue walls to uniform heating efi'ects.Combustion is usually produced by introducing fluid fuel, such as gas,together with air through assageways in one of the flue walls (generallythe lower wall or floor) and the streams of fuel and air so produced areprojected upward through the flue or combustion chamber, being ignitedby the heat of the walls and the combustion already going on in theflue. \Vith the ordinary form of single burner the combustion begins ator near the burner mouth and is completed within a comparativelyrestricted zone above said mouth so that no active generation of heattakes place'in the upper part of the flue.

' Consequently the heating of the upper zone of the adjacent oven orretort is only that caused by radiation from the gradually cooling gasesof combustion, while the lower zone may be subjected to injuriousoverheating by the rapid, localized combustion taking place in the'lowerpart of the flues near the burner mouth.

I have discovered that the initial rapidity or activity. of combustionat and near the burner mouth can be decreased and the comletion ofcombustion delayed until the rising currents of fuel and air reach theupper portion of the flues, by causing the fuel to enter the flue at aplurality of points at widely varying distances from the air inletinstead of admitting all the fuel at one point as heretofore, throughan" ordinary circular burner nozzle. The best form of apparatus atpresent known to me embodying my invention is illustrated in theaccompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a vertical cross sectionthrough a coke oven with parts broken away and others omitted.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section taken on line 2-2 of Fig. l, and

Fig. 8 is a similar view showing a modification.

Throughout the drawings like reference characters indicate like parts.1, 1, represent the ovens or retorts to be heated, and 3, 3, thevertical heating flues or combustion chambers formed in the oven walls,2, 2. Preferably the flues have a vertical dimension greatly in accessof their horizontal dimensions, though their horizontal cross sectionsincrease progressively upward as indicated by the terracing of theirside walls at 19, 19. Access to, and observation of conditions in, theheating flue may be had through channel 17 in the top wall thereof,controlled by cover 18.

The fuel and air for combustion enter each flue 3, through passagewaysin one wall (usually the bottom wall or floor, as shown) and preferably,as shown, the axes of these passageways are parallel one to another andto the longest dimension of the flue. 12, 12, represent'chambers of airsupply in which is maintained an atmospheric pressure greater than thatin flues 3, 3. Usually this difference between atmospheric pressures isproduced and maintained by chimney draft, but any equivalent means canbe employed. The excess of pressure in 12, 12, however produced, forcesair therefrom into flues 3, 3, through passageways 15, 15, and laterallyextending branches 13, 13. In the inner portion of each passageway 15,which is of reduced diameter, is preferably located a removable nozzle14, of highly refractory material which has a flanged outer end 20,resting in the outer portion of passageway 15, which is of largerdiameter. The remainder of the passageway 15, is filled with plug 16,which has its inner end partly cut away at 21, so as to register withthe mouth of branchpassageway l3, and

afford communication with the bore of nozzle 14. The air may of coursebe preheated by any usual method.

The fuel is introduced through the same wall as is the air, but at aplurality of points, as by a plurality of burners. I have shown twoburners. The burner nearest the air inlet is composed of tube 6, andremovable tip or nozzle 4:, located in passageway 8. The other iscomposed of tube 7, and re movable tip or nozzle 5, located inpassageway 9. 10, and 11, are valves controlling the flow of gas throughtubes 6, and 7, from gasometer 22, or other source of supply of fluidfuel under pressure. Tubes 6 and 7, may be made of iron or other cheap,strong material, while nozzles at and 5 are made of more highlyrefractory material such as fire brick. These nozzles do not projectinto the flue 3, but are withdrawn a. slight distance into passageways 8and 9, being hooded thereby.

In operation streams of air and gas are projected into flues 3, 3,parallel to the longest dimensions thereof, and combustion bycombination of the air with fuel from burner nozzle 4, nearest the airinlet, begins at or near the burner nozzle in each case. As the flamesshoot upward the gas from the more remote burner nozzle 5, graduallymixes with the burning gases and feeds the flames, sustaining andcontinuing the combustion and prolonging the flames until the extremeupper zones of the fines are reached. The increasing cross sections ofthe upper flue zone due-to steps or terraces 19, 19, accommodate theexpanding gases of combustion as the flames are fed by fuel supply fromsupplemental burner 5, in each flue.

The same general principle of operation may be conserved by substitutingone long flat burner shown in Fig. 3for the plurality of circularburners shown in Fig. 2.

Combustion then begins in the lower zone at the edge of the flat ribbonof gas discharged into the flue adjacent to the air inlet and spreadsprogressively to the farther edge as the upper flue zones are reached.

The best results are, however, attained by having a plurality ofseparate fuel inlets arranged in an approximately straight line,

- and with the air inlet located at one end of that line. as shown inFigs. 1 and 2.

The advantages of my invention comprise (in addition to the extendedVolume of the combustion zone) the prolongation of the life f theburners by sinking or hooding the tips thereof some distance within theorifices of the inlet passageways of the walls, whereby they are partlyprotected from the heat in the combustion chamber, the ease of accessto, and removal of, the removable tips both for burners and air supplyconnections, and the clieapness and convenience of the interchangeable,unit system of air and fuel conduits and nozzles shown and described.

I wish it understood that various changes can be made in the, details ofconstruction shown and described without departing from the substance ofmy invention so long as the general principles of operation and coactionof parts herein set forth are preserved.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. In a heating apparatus the .combina* tion, with a combustion chamber,of an air inlet in one wall thereof, and a plurality of fuel inletslocated on one side of the air inlet, all of said air and fuel inletsbeing arranged in a substantially straight line, and so as to dischargetheir contents in parallel directions, into the zone of combustion.

2. In a heating apparatus the combination, with a combustion flue ofconsiderable depth relative to its horizontal dimensions, of an airinlet and a plurality of fuel inlets arranged in a substantiallystraight line at the bottom of the flue, the air inlet being at one endof the line.

3. In a heating apparatus the combination with a combustion fine ofconsiderable depth relative to ll/S horizontal dimensions,

of an air inlet and a plurality of fuel inlets in the bottom of theflue, one of thefuel inlets being closer than another to the air inlet.

4. In a. heating apparatus the combination, with a combustion flue ofconsiderable depth relative to its horizontal dimensions, of a verticalair inlet passageway entering the bottom of the flue near one side wall,and two vertical fuel inlets also in the bottom of the flue, one ofwhich is much nearer than the other to the air inlet.

5. In a heating apparatus the combination, with a combustion chamberhaving one dimension longer than the other two dimensions, of an airinlet passageway through one wall the axis of which is substantiallyparallelto the longest dimension of the chamber, a plurality of fuelinlet passageways in said wall the axes of which are parallel to that ofthe air inlet passageway and which are located at different distancesfrom the air inlet. and means for forcing streams of combustible fluidand of air through the respective passageways into the combustionchamber.

6. In a heating apparatus the combina tion, with a combustion chamberhaving one dimension longer than the other two dimensions, of an airinlet passageway through one wall the axis of which is substantiallyparallel to the longest dimension of the chamber, and means for forcingfluid fuel into the combustion chamber through the same wall at aplurality of points located at widely varying distances from the airinlet,

. movable nozzle in said passageway mainly- 7. In a heatin apparatus thecombination, with a com ustion chamber having a straight main air inletpassageway in one wall with a laterally extending branch, of a plug forthe outer portion of said main passageway having a partly cutawayportion at its inner end adapted to register with the mouth of thebranch passageway when the alu is in osition and a removable nozzle,

adapted to rest in the inner end of the main passageway on the partlycutaway end of the plug.

8. In a heating apparatus the combination, with a combustion chamberhaving a straight main air inlet passageway in one wall of reduceddiameter at and near the orifice and a laterally extending branch fromthe outer portion of larger diameter, of a relying in said portion ofreduced diameter 20 but having a flanged end resting in the portion oflarger diameter, anda plug filling the'remai nder of the passagewayhaving a cutaway portion at its inner end registering with the mouth ofthe branch passageway 25 its lower portions.

HENRY w. BUHLER.

